Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

When we think of Medieval Castles we almost invariably think of Britain and Ireland. When we think of Haunted Castles we invariably think of Transylvania and Eastern Europe. But Haunted Castles are all over the world including right here in North America. Yup, plenty of castles and plenty of hauntings. Here is an article I wrote today about some of the more famous haunted castles right here in the states (never know, might make a good vacation trip -just don’t stay overnight!)

Its on my medieval castle website here:
Haunted Medieval Castles In America

About the Highlander Contest

The latest installment in the Highlander franchise is Highlander: The Source; and it is coming to dvd on Feb 26. I am working with the good people at M80 And Lions Gate Entertainment in conjunction with this release.

I have received an advance copy of the movie and I will review it for you tomorrow. The people at M80 have also offered me a free DVD of the movie along with a poster to give away to one of my web visitors.

So, I will be running free contest where you can sign up to win the dvd and the poster.

I am currently putting together materials for the movie (which includes movie shots and more) and the contest. Tomorrow I will launch it all. So check back again tomorrow if you want to learn about it and sign up for the contest. There is no email building here. You simply fill in your email and you will be entered in the contest for the free DVD and poster. The winner will be notified by email.  The giveaway will be Feb 29 which is only a few days away. It’s my way of saying thanks for visiting my blog and website.

Check back again tomorrow for the highlander info and the free contest giveaway!

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I have a couple of medieval castle things I thought you might like to see. First off I have been getting a lot of requests to do some kind of project where you make your own medieval castle out of paper or cardboard. It’s been on my list for a while but I have completed it.

Here is a picture of the project. I posted a full tutorial with lots of pictures on my website. It shows you how to make this castle and it gives you all the required drawings so you can print them out and make the castle. All you need is some glue and cardboard from cereal boxes. It also has a nice fact sheet that points out the main aspects of a castle - you can use it to make this a learning project.

It’s the first of three castles I will be making. The project is located here: Make a Paper Medieval Castle

 My next castle will be larger and based on a real castle. And the third castle will be six to eight feet in size and the kind you make for the kids to play in.

I also have found a little bit about some real castles that I thought you might be interested in. Here is a link to a great essay about the 25 most beautiful castles in the world. Really magnificent castles here and they are spread across much of the world. Of course there will always be some debate about a list like this and there are a few more castles I think should go on this list but it’s a good selection with pictures and background information. Check it out here: The Top 25 Most Beautiful Castles in the World

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If you are interested in the whole science and art of siege warfare and how it took place during the middle ages here is a book recommendation for you. I own this book and really like it.

The title of the book in this review is “Medieval Siege Warfare”. It is written by Christoper Gravett and the color plates were drawn by Richard and Christa Hook.

This book takes a good look at the evolving and changing world of siege warfare during the Middle Ages. But it is not a dry and scholarly look at the subject. It is clearly written in a normal tone and aimed at the average reader. And it comes complete with around 50 drawings and photographs of sieges, castles, siege engines and more.

Siege warfare is a fascinating topic because during the Middle Ages a real arms race was going on. It was the race between castle builders, weapon builders, and siege engineers. Technology and engineering changed dramatically during medieval times and castles had to change and adapt in order to cope with this growth and keep their inhabitants safe. Both siege engineers and castle builders used many ingenious means and devices to achieve their goals. This book takes a good look at these tactics and techniques and how they changed and evolved over a several hundred year period.

The art of the siege was more than just ladders and catapults. It was a whole science with an arsenal of weapons for attack and methods for defense; and the book takes a good look at all these variations from tunnel digging to the building of moats and gatehouses and even diplomacy and biological warfare. And it gives solid examples, with pictures, of real castles and how they were built and attacked. It also has many DaVinci like drawings of siege weapons and tactics.

Some of the best parts of the book are the references to real sieges of real castles throughout history. It gives you short looks at how the sieges occurred and what happened. Some of the famous sieges covered are the first siege of Le Puiset in 1111, the sea-borne attack on Acre in 1189, and the siege of Chateau Gaillard in 1203.

This book is written for an audience of teens to adults and if you are looking for a good introductory book about the whole subject of the sieging of castles during the Middle Ages this is the perfect choice. It is not too scholarly, has lots of pictures and illustrations, and takes a complete look at the whole subject area.

This book is Available on Amazon.com - Medieval Siege Warfare (Trade Editions)

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